Arrival of Eos
by Shattered Relampago
Summary: ON HOLD: Need a beta to help my sort through my mistakes, etc. Anyone?
1. Chapter One Loss of Friendship

NOTE: I have added a page or two to this chapter. Please read the added part in order to understand what is happening in Chapter 2. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Loss of Friendship

"Cookies!" Usagi squealed in delight as she opened the cookie jar. Her parents and brother had gone over to a friend's house, and they left Usagi behind so that she could study for her upcoming math test. She was upset about being left behind, but her mom's home made cookies more than made up for it.

"Where's Sailor Moon? We need her help!"

"I don't know, Mars," Sailor Mercury replied," I tried get her on her communicator, but there was no response. We can't wait for her either, let's try combining our attacks to kill the youma."

Lita jumped back, avoiding another attack by the sword wielding youma, "Good thinking, Mercury. On three guys! One.. Two.. Three!"

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Mars Fire Sniper!"

The four attacks combined into a single attack and hit the youma on the chest. The youma's scream echoed as it was vaporized.

"Wow, that was a close one," said Venus.

Mars looked at her with fire in her eyes, "It wouldn't have been if our so called leader would have bothered to show. What am I saying? It still would have been! She's been screwing up even when she does show; we would've had to just cover her rear and hope she could get her attack in. For her own good, I think we should force her to quit being a sailor scout until she shows some damn maturity."

The other three went silent. They didn't want to hurt Usagi's feelings, but they wanted to protect her from her own clumsiness as well. She had been too absent minded lately to handle the responsibilities of being the leader of the sailor senshi or even those of just being a senshi even for that matter.

The usually quiet Mercury ended the awkward silence, "I believe Mars has a point. She's going to get herself hurt or worse if we don't force her to change. Our duty is to protect the Moon Princess, and, if this is what it takes, then that's what we have to do. Usagi should be temporarily relieved of her responsibilities as a sailor senshi."

"You guys are right." Lita commented.

Mina looked at everyone's face, each sincere. "Well, since we're all in agreement here, we should go talk to Sailor Moon."

The other three nodded. They walked together as a group into an alley. It started at the back of some shops in downtown Tokyo. When they emerged from the other side, there stood four gloomy girls, Amy, Rei, Lita, and Mina. From a quick glance they looked like normal school girls, but if you looked close, you could see fresh cuts and bruises accompanied with old scars that told of battles fought long ago. Now, these dedicated warriors had to do the hardest thing possible. They had to tell their best friend and leader that she was no longer allowed to help them fight the powers of evil.

Usagi was grimacing in disgust. She had her math homework spread out in front of her. She was concentrating hard, trying to solve the equation on the paper, but she just couldn't figure it out.

"Let's see now. I need to subtract the X from the left side and the right to get the negative Y alone by itself. Next, I divide each side by negative one to get the Y alone by itself. Ugh…now what do I do with the Z? Oh…I need Amy's help!" Usagi grumbled to herself.

Usagi's studying was interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"Coming!"

Usagi stood up and went to the door. She turned the knob, pulled open the door, and found her friends standing on the other side.

"Hey guys, perfect timing! Come on in. Amy, I need your help in math again, I'm stuck with this one equation. I was able to get it part way, but I forget what you told me to do. It just doesn't make any sense to…"

Rei cut her off, "Usagi, this isn't a social visit."

Usagi, stunned, turned around, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is there was another youma attack. Usually you are just late, but this time you didn't even show. It wouldn't have mattered. You've been slacking in battle as well as training. You would've just put yourself in danger if you would've showed."

"Hey, if you guys need help, you know you have to call me on the communicator. I'm not psychic like some people, Rei." Usagi stuck out her tongue at Rei to emphasize her point.

Before the two could get into a childish fight again, Amy stepped forward, "Cut it off you two! We came here with a serious issue to discuss, arguing like children won't accomplish anything. The fact is we did call. Actually, I called you, and it wasn't just once or twice. I called at least a dozen times. How could you not here me?"

"Sorry, Amy. I was in the kitchen. My communicator must be up in my room. Sorry, it won't happen again, guys."

Mina now took control of the conversation, "Usagi, we didn't come here to just get an apology. As Rei pointed out, you've been slacking, and that's being getting you into trouble during our battles. A few times you could have died hadn't one of us arrived to save you. I'm sorry to be the one to have to say this, but we came here to demand that you to step down as a Sailor Senshi."

Usagi laughed nervously, "You're joking, right? You want me to stop being Sailor Moon?" She looked at each one, "Lita? Mina? Amy? Rei?" Each one had nodded as she called of their names.

"Usagi, it's unanimous. Please hand over your communicator. You won't need it, and we've decided to give it to Darien in case we need Tuxedo Mask's help."

Usagi ran up the stairs, tears threatening to spill. She opened her bedroom door and looked about the room. She walked to her night stand and picked up her communicator. She ran back down the steps and tossed the communicator to Mina, "Take it and get out!"

"Usagi, calm down. We're still your friends." Rei managed to stammer out.

"Get out now!" Usagi screamed, tears streaming down her face. The four girls took the hint and scrambled out the door. As the last one was out, Usagi slammed the door shut and locked it.

She wandered towards the kitchen, great sobs wrenching her body. She spotted her school books and math work littering the kitchen table. With a horrible cry, she swept her arms over the table, knocking everything to the floor. The sound attracted Luna to the kitchen. She walked in and saw Usagi on the floor crying into her arms, around her lay a disgruntled heap of her school things.

"Usagi, what's wrong?"

"They.. they.. said…" Usagi stuttered, trying to answer Luna's questions between her sobs.

"Usagi, come one. Calm down now. Take deep breaths, in and out." Luna placed her paw on Usagi's leg to help calm her down. Through Luna's suggested techniques, Usagi slowly began to calm down to where she could talk again.

"The girls came over and told me they want me to stop being a sailor scout."

"They did what?!" Luna exclaimed.

"They said I was putting myself into unnecessary danger because I'm too weak and clumsy in our battles."

"Well, they do have a point, Usagi. You've been a real slacker lately, and you need to straighten out your act before you get yourself hurt."

"So you agree with them, do you?"

"Usagi, I didn't say anything like that. I was merely suggesting that…"

Usagi cut her off, her voice raising a decibel or two, "..that I'm weak and clumsy. That I'm in no shape to be a Sailor Senshi. I know what you're 'suggesting' and I'm sick of all of you. If you are all so alike in mind, why don't you go stay with them?"

"Usagi, you don't mean it. Just calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down. I want you to get out now! Go live with Mina since all of you are so much better than me." Usagi stood up and pointed towards the door, her eyes burning holes into Luna.

"Please don't do this. You know that I love you. I would never try to hurt you. We just want to protect you from yourself."

Usagi bent over and picked up Luna. She went to the door, opened it, and set Luna on the doorstep. When Luna turned around to protest, Usagi slammed the door shut in her face.

The four girls walked down the street with their heads downcast. Their eyes studied the passing ground below them. Rei was the first to break the uncomfortable silence, "Do you think we did the right thing? I mean, she looked really hurt."

Mina looked up for the first time, "Yes, we did the right thing. We have to protect her at all costs, even if it costs us her friendship."

The other two nodded in agreement. From behind them they heard someone calling them.

"Rei! Mina! Wait you four!" The girls turned around to face the panting Luna.

Amy was the first to speak, "Luna, what are you doing out here?"

"It's Usagi. She kicked me out because I agreed with your decision."

Lita's mouth fell open, "She kicked you out? I can't believe it. She must be really mad at us right now. Maybe she'll clam down by tomorrow."

"I don't think she will, but we can hope." Luna added in her comment.

"Well, don't worry Luna. While we're waiting on Usagi to recover, you can live with me and Artemis." Mina reached down and picked Luna up.

"Thank you, Mina, I am very grateful."

It was close to 10pm, and Usagi was far from home. She had left for a walk after she kicked Luna out. She had to sort out her feelings, yet they were so wild within her. One moment she'd be giggling, then a memory would surface and she'd start sobbing uncontrollably again.

She stopped when she reached the pond in the park. Darien and her had come to this place often to watch the sunset and the twinkling stars that followed. Darien, the love of her life, had been distant lately. He had even snapped at her in the last battle. She had been a little clumsy and had become trapped by the youma. Lita's good timing saved her, but it had shaken Darien badly.

'He would have supported them,' Usagi thought, 'I know I need to start training, but I just wanted to enjoy myself a little. What's so wrong with that? What's wrong with wanting to NOT remember, even if it's only for a little while? Why are they in a rush to reopen my past and my pain?'

Without realizing it she had stood up and walked to the railing around the pond. She leaned until her arms were stretched as far as they could be, and then she lifted one of her legs up, stretching it out. Relaxing, she brought her arms and legs back in and stood up straight. One arm she shifted to be horizontal with the ground as she stood tip-toed on one foot. An old song bubbled up from the abyss of her memory…

She let go of the present. She allowed her mind to wander back, back to when things had been much easier. Back then, the pain hadn't arrived yet. She was alive, free, young, and in love. Following the steps in her memories, Usagi swayed and freely moved her body in synch with the melody from her past. It was a waltz, but she didn't dance with anyone. She danced alone, dazzling an audience with her grace with spins and impossible feats of balance. She brought a leg and hand behind her bent back to meet for a moment. She twirled and jumped, always moving her body. It ended with a curtsey, the audience of her past applauding.

Her mind slowly broke free of the memory, a smile playing on her lips, happy she had swayed the crowd. Something, however, was off. The memory of the clapping persisted even though she was back in the present. She opened her eyes wide, head darting back and forth, searching for the source of the noise.

Leaning against one of the lamp posts was a man. He looked staggering in an all black tuxedo. It made his skin glow, his eyes and hair, bright silver, jumped out at you with the beautiful contrast.

'Wait. SILVER eyes?'

Her mouth moved, daring her to speak. She couldn't, she was paralyzed. He was hot, yes, but there was something else. Something strangely familiar about him.

"I am very happy to see you haven't truly lost your touch, Serenity."

'Serenity? How did he know my true name?'

"How… how do you know me?" She twisted her head slightly to the side, confusion sweeping through her eyes, curling her lips into the smallest pout.

He chuckled, "Oh, come now. Have you honestly forgotten all about me? I'm hurt, Princess. All the hours we spent practicing and rehearsing, and now you don't remember any of it?"

His amused smile never left his face. She was getting irritated with his attitude. Of course she didn't remember. If she had, would she be asking?

"Duh! If I remembered you, I would have either greeted or killed you, depending on how the memory went." A small smirk graced her lips as she settled her lithe frame into a defensive stance.

"I mean you no harm, Serenity. Trust me, you will laugh with me once you do remember. I only came here to make you an offer, to ease your current situation."

"An offer?" she murmured, as she shifted her body weight, ready for him to charge at any moment, "and what kind of offer would that be? I hope you know you can't take me against my will."

A thunderous roar escaped his lips as he slapped his knnes, one arm wrapped around his chest in attempt to hold his frame together. "P…Prin… Princess," he struggled, gasping for breath between his lips, "if only you did remember. You'd be rolling on the floor right now."

Usagi glared at the enchanting stranger longer. She looked deep into his livid eyes. The color was so familiar. Why could she not remember? He slowly stopped laughing, all mirth escaping his eyes. Now they took on a grave look. "I know you are hurting. I heard what the inner senshi told you. I know you have been here waiting for Edmund. You have been here for a few hours, has he shown? Has he at least come to comfort his true love? You deserve better treatment, better friendship, and better understanding. If they could pull their heads out of their asses for one second, they would see the pain the past brings you. You need to get away from them for a time, to regroup within yourself. I offer you an opportunity to relearn ballet, to escape this painful present, and, if you so wish, to unlock all of your memories."

"Am I supposed to just run away with a total stranger? I don't think so."

"Serenity, listen to me. I am not asking you to live with me or anything perverted. I saw you dance; you can't deny you have talent. I am an instructor at a ballet academy in the United States. I can grant you a full ride scholarship to attend. Please believe me when I promise I do not wish you any pain. I only want to give you the chance to heal from the hurt they caused. I will not throw away your friendship as stupidly as _they _did."

A single tear escaped her moist eyes. Damn betraying tears. She loved her friends and she loved Darien, but it was true. They had hurt her. She couldn't even stomach the idea of seeing them right now. Time away would be good. She wouldn't have to see them everyday, ending up with her crying in a strange bathroom. She wouldn't have to fake being happy. She could just be.

"It sounds great and weird at the same time. I know I know you from somewhere. I wish I could remember if it's in a good way or not, but I just don't know. I know I am being crazy, reckless, and rash; however, I will agree to go to this academy on a few terms…"

"Anything you wish, Princess. You don't even have to tell me what they are before I give you the scholarship or before we leave. This will be whatever you wish to make of it."

"Thank you. What is your name?"

"Eos."


	2. Chapter Two Leaving Behind Pain

With a sense of finality, the sounds of closing zippers mildly echoed in the room. She took a moment to brush away a stray tear, taking in her surroundings one last time. She hadn't slept at all last night. The girls had tried to stop by the past few days, but they never made it past the front door. She laughed heartlessly remembering the looks on her parents' faces when Eos had arrived in a limo.

"My Usagi… doing ballet? Are you sure you have the right house? She's… she's… just so clumsy. I don't believe it!"

"Mom, you've never seen me dance."

"You've never even had classes! How are we supposed to NOT think this is some sort of hoax!"

Eos had barely contained his chuckling behind fake coughs, "I can assure you Usagi has spectacular talent in ballet. I spotted her in the park, dancing like a professional. It came as a shock when I found out she hasn't ever had lessons. I literally had to beg her to accept a full paid scholarship to the school."

"Mom, help me move this table. I'll show you what he saw. At least what I can show you without breaking anything."

Usagi and her Mom moved the table into the other room. Usagi went to the corner of the room and closed her eyes. She stood up tall on her toes, and gracefully trotted from one side of the room and back, throwing in twirls and small jumps. As she crossed the middle, she landed on foot and brought her other foot up as she raised her arms, forming an arc.

"I can dance, Mom, I've never needed lessons to learn. Now I have a chance to perfect my routines and maybe learn a few things. Please?"

"Usagi… I'm not very comfortable with you moving to a whole different town. What about school? What about your friends? I know you've been avoiding them recently. You can't just jump at the first opportunity to run away, dear."

Eos moved from the wall to sit down with Usagi's Mom, "In regards to her schooling, I have already mentioned it would be fully paid. Her primary focus would be ballet, true, but we also have tutors for each student. We do not want them to fall behind in their academics."

"And Mom, I am not doing this to run away from the girls," Usagi silently prayed her Mom couldn't hear her lie, "This is something for me. I will miss everyone," at least not everything she said was a lie, "but they would never let me live with myself if I told them I refused this opportunity. Ami would nag me with statistics of another chance like this coming my way again. Rei would constantly hit me over the head with her temple broom. Mikato would refuse to cook for me and might give me a black eye or two; and Mina would likely spread some rumor about me being a chicken or some nonsense. Right now, you're right, things aren't the greatest between us, but they would want me to do this. Please?"

Usagi's mom leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. It was a great opportunity. Usagi was right about a chance like this maybe never coming again. However, Usagi really wasn't good at school. She needed Ami and the other girls to help her with her homework. With the girls not getting along, her grades would suffer. If she went to this school she would have tutors, similar to what the girls had been.

"Fine, I will help you convince your father. We WILL be making visits, and we EXPECT your room to be clean when we arrive. Your grades better improve or at least stay the same. We will also be expecting a video tape of any performances you perform in as well."

Usagi ran to her mom and gave her a giant hug as Eos calmly walked towards the door, "I'll leave you two be for now. Remember, Usagi, we have a tight schedule to make it back for auditions. We have to leave here by 6 A.M. tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing."

Her mother stared at her daughter. She really had no clue what had become of her. She would never had so willingly waken up that early for anything. 'She must be truly committed to this then.'

Usagi's father was much harder to convince. He didn't want to lose his little girl. It took a lot of pleading on Usagi and her Mom's part to get him to relent. While she wouldn't be able to visit, they would be able to with enough advance warning so she could clear her schedule.

Shaking her head, Usagi cleared her mind of the events from the past few days. Eos was ready to whisk her away to the airport in his limo. She went over to her nightstand, and pulled out two envelops, one with Senshi and one with Darien on the front. She spread them out on her bed. There was one for each girl and one for him. He hadn't even tried once to come see her. That's 'true love' for you. Fighting tears again, she grabbed the disguise pen, jammed it in her pocket, and carried her small carry-on bags downstairs. She had told her Mom to let the girls into her room after she had left. She didn't want to run the risk of them coming over while she was getting into the limo. She needed to hurry.

It was time to leave for the States. With a few final hugs and promises to e-mail or call every day, she wished her family good-bye.

It was time.

---

"Rei, hurry up! We need to go talk to Usagi!" Mina yelled, trying to get over the annoying rock music Rei had blaring. It was so unlike the fire temple priestess, usually such racket was forbidden.

"WHY? It's not like her "highness" is even going to let us in."

"REI," Makota yelled, "get your sorry ass out here now before I break down your precious temple doors or have Ami cause a blackout!"

The harsh rock music abruptly cut off, followed by the sound of feet pounding on the floor, causing the bamboo door to rattle. It flew open as Rei stormed out. "Fine, but if she refuses to open the door today, I'm not turning back. We ARE going in even if I have to burn her fucking house down!"

The other four girls nodded. It was getting ridicules. They had meant to protect her. Now she wouldn't even speak to them. It was getting out of hand. How did she ever expect to get better if she wouldn't at least train? This is the whole reason she had to be kicked out anyway.

The walk to Usagi's house was very quiet. No one wanted to speak. They all felt guilty. Maybe they had pushed too hard. Maybe they should have tried to talk with her instead of stripping her of her communicator. How bad had they hurt her?

Everyone kept themselves in their own thoughts until they reached her house. It was already five o'clock, and it was starting to get dark. The lights inside were on, so they knew they were home. Ami, being the calmest out of the whole group, lead the way up to the door, ringing the bell.

After just a minute, Usagi's mom opened the door. Usually, her face was bright and full of love and comfort. Now her eyes were puffy and red, and you could easily see tear trails on her face.

"Hi girls. You missed Usagi, but she asked me to show you to her room." A few more tears escaped her eyes. All of the girls had goose bumps. Something was wrong. They followed her up the stairs until they reached the door to Usagi's room.

"I'll leave you five alone for a few minutes. I'll be downstairs if you need something."

As she made her escape, the girls looked at each other. Concern and worry laced each one's face. Ami reached for the handle and pulled the door open. An audible gasp escaped everyone's mouth as they looked inside. The room normally had photos of bunnies, cartoon and real alike, scattered on the wall. There used to be pictures of the group and Usagi with Darien all over the walls and on her dressers. There used to be stuffed animals adorning every open surface.

Now the room was bare. There were no sheets on the mattress. Nothing remained on the walls. The dresser was covered with a white sheet. The only thing left in the bare room were two pink envelopes on the bed. All of the girls filed in, closing the door behind them. Ami reached the bed first.

"There… there's one addressed for us… and one for Darien." Ami opened the letter addressed to them and read aloud:

_Senshi,_

_Do not try to follow me. I have my disguise pen, and I plan on using it. I am not going to point blame or even insult you. I am just going to say good-bye. I will miss all of you, but I need time. I believe I will be back. Do you want to know why? I would tell you, but that is the one thing you never asked of me. It is too late for simple apologies or explanations._

_Stay strong for the city. Stay strong for each other. Stay strong for Darien._

_Until we cross paths again,_

_~Usagi_

_~Sailor Moon_

_~Princess Serenity_

Ami's voice broke on the last signature. It was more than a letter; it was a command. They couldn't follow her. Even if they had removed Sailor Moon from the group, they could never disobey their Princess. All of the girls huddled together into a hug crying.

---

"MARS! Look alive!" Tuxedo Mask yelled. He threw three blood red roses, cutting through the black tentacles which had wound around Mar's legs.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

Lighting stampeded from Jupiter's outstretched hands, crashing into the youma's face. A wild scream tore through the area as the youma tried soothing the pain rebounding through its head.

"Come on Mars, together now!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Mars Fire Sniper!"

The fire and lightning dances together, wrapping around the youma. Tuxedo Mask threw a handful of roses into the fray. The three attacks combined together overwhelming the weakened youma.

"MARS! What is wrong with you!" Darien yelled, putting his rose into his coat pocket.

Rei spun on her heel and slapped Darien. "You dumbass! What the hell do you think is wrong?!"

"I don't know. If I did, would I be asking?"

Makato moved in-between the two, holding them away from each other at arms length. She calmly looked at Darien, "You honestly have no clue?"

"No."

"Who haven't you seen in at least a week?"

"Well, Usagi, but that's because you decided to remove her from the Senshi team."

Rei struggled to reach him again. She dug her nails into Makato's arms trying to break her hold as she spat, "Oh, so she's only allowed to see you when she's putting her life on the line, is that it? Asshole!"

"REI, what is your problem? I have no clue what you are talking about."

Makato shook her head. She let go of Darien and faced Rei, holding her with both hands now. "Rei, go home. I need to talk to Darien. He needs to know."

Rei glared at Makato. Why does he need to be told? Why can't the loaf feel it? Their Princess had left them. No, more like they forced her away. They broke her friendship, her love. They just assumed she was being a lazy brat. They never even asked her why she wouldn't train more, why she felt the need to always goof off. Was there a reason even? She just didn't know. What if there was a reason? It just confused her too much. Fresh tears started to build. She had to leave. She broke free of Makato's grasp and ran home without another word.

Makato sighed as she watched Rei run. They were all hurting, but Rei was hurting the most. She had always been the most vicious to Usagi about training, always insulting her for being lazy.

"Makato, what is going on? What's wrong?"

She slowly turned around and looked into his eyes. She could see the apprehension, the worry, the pain and the loss. He knew. He just didn't want to face reality.

"Usagi left. We don't know where to, and her parents won't tell us. She… left us a letter. There was one for you too. We've been waiting to give it to you."

His eyes were wild with pain, but his facial mask never failed. He extended his hand, waiting for the letter. Makato pulled it out of her back pocket and slowly gave it to him. He ripped it open without hesitation.

_Darien, Tuxedo Mask, Prince Edmund,_

_Have you felt it already? My absence? Or at least my growing distance from you? I feel it, even though I am still in my room. After the Senshi told me to quit being Sailor Moon, I waited for you to come. I know they went to you. I know they gave you my communicator. I waited. I waited in my room. I waited at our spot. Do you remember our spot even? _

_True love. Honestly, I am not sure anymore. Do you know what yesterday was? I doubt you do. Do you want to know why I have left? Why I won't let the Senshi or you find me? Why I am in pain? Maybe I will tell you someday. Maybe I will return. Maybe the future we once knew will happen. Right now, you are on your own. See other people if you like. Seeing as we were never officially even boyfriend/girlfriend in this life, there is no need to even break up._

_Do not follow me._

_~Usagi_

_~Sailor Moon_

_~Princess Serenity_

**A/N**: I know. I fail. I meant to never write another A/N or take this long to revise this chapter AND post the next. I will try my best to get caught up and have chapters 3 & 4 up by this Sunday. Cross your fingers! I want to point out while I won't change where the story is going based on reviews, I might change how I've worded things. For example, someone commented they found it hard to believe she would just leave, so I added in some extra motivation to her mom to let her go, etc. If you still find it hard to believe she would just leave, just hold onto your pants :P


	3. Chapter Three Joy and Pain

A/N: I swore I wouldn't be one of those authors who did A/N, but oh well. First, I suck. I'm three chapters behind schedule. I'll do my best to catch up for you guys. I am going to start writing this Saturday all day, so hopefully I'll catch up with the chapters. I have also decided I will only do A/N if I need to and to respond to reviewers (if you raise a valid point/question).

Response to Leo the Cat loves his Pizza: Sorry! I wanted to use the old names, but it's been around 5 years since I even looked at Sailor Moon. I am very rusty. I apologize. I will make an effort to look them up and correct them all (or just switch to the English versions). This is the reason of the whole Edmund/Endymion confusion. I meant to put Endymion, but I couldn't remember his actual name/spelling. I was writing this based off of my memory only. If you notice grammar mistakes, please point them out. I try my best to catch all of them, but I'm not perfect. If you point them out, I will go back and correct them.

Chapter 3 – Joy and Pain

A month has passed since she left Tokyo. On one foot, she whirled around, the perfect pirouette. Serene moon light graced her elegant features, casting a glow on her auburn hair. She never left her guard down. She never eased the disguise.

"Beautiful, princess."

She sighed and turned to face the mystery of Eos. She still could not recall who he was. It would have come to her if she wanted it to, but she didn't want it to. She wanted to live more before her destiny was thrown into her face again. The future would be beautiful and happy, but there was also pain in the future. To just get to the future she would have to relive her past, and it just had too much pain. She would have to face both eventually, but why did eventually have to be now?

"Have you reached a decision?"

She sighed, slowly walked over to her bag and pulled out a hoodie. It was white with a brilliant pink bunny on the back. "I would rather not. I don't want to remember. I don't want to go through that again."

"But?"

"But I know I have to."

Eos walked over to Usagi. She had curled her arms around her figure, holding everything in. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed.

"Usagi, you never have to do anything. You could run away from all of this. You could go to the U.S or France and continue your career in dance. You would be remarkable. The problem is you don't want to. You want to protect everyone, even your friends who have hurt you."

"No! I do not want to! I have to!"

"No, you want and need to. You only say 'have to' because you have the power to save everyone. You could let the evil come. You could leave the Senshi alone to fight. You don't want that though. You want to fight. You want to be the only who has to get hurt. You want to protect everyone from the pain. You have an internal need to protect those near you."

Usagi opened her mouth ready to argue her point, but nothing sounded from her throat. Tears spilled as she desperately fought to gain control. Her emotions were haywire. 'Why can't I argue with him? Why can't I stop crying!'

"Usagi, Princess, I think it is time. You know the evil will not wait forever. If you are going to protect anyone, you need to know how. You need your memories back, and we need to start training."

A low sob ebbed from her throat as tears continued their march down her face and slender neck. "Why me? Why can't I just live a normal life?"

Eos rubbed his hands in circles on her back trying to soothe her. "Because you are **pure**. You are a beacon of light, hope, and kindness. No other could be trusted with power as great as yours. If anyone else, likely even your friends, had your power, they would be corrupted by it. You knew this once. You will know it again. Please, allow me to awaken your memories. The past was not all pain. There was a great deal of happiness too. You will get to relive all your memories of your mother, meeting your friends for the first time, and meeting your true love all over again. Please, Princess?"

Her tears refused to stop. Her eyes were puffy and swollen. Sobs wreaked havoc on her slim frame. It took all of her focus to nod.

"Okay, close your eyes. Whatever you do, do not look up. You are not ready to see my insignia yet."

She closed her eyes and bowed her head. The sobs and tears continued their relentless assault.

Eos backed away from Usagi's shuddering form. He straightened his back and took a deep breath, focusing his concentration to a single point. A dazzling beam of light jutted out from his forehead aimed directly at Usagi's forehead. Her sobs and tears stopped as her silver moon insignia flared to life. A white light poured into her mind, burning all of the barriers hiding her past.

As the walls fell, she relived all of the memories behind them. She remembered everything. Her mother's beautiful smile. Her mother's disapproving frown. Her mother's loving touch. Her mother's pride and love as Serenity danced. Being tutored by Eos. Dancing with Eos. Performing for the entire kingdom. Her friends. Her true love. Her first kiss. Her joy. Her naivety, smattered by the arrival of the dark queen. Her fear. Her utter loss as Endymion fell. The numbness as she heaved his fallen sword through her body. The joy. The pain.

It came in flashes of pictures overwhelming her mind. It couldn't handle it all so fast. Lingering in her mind was the memory of Endymion's smile as she danced for him as she fainted.

Eos bolted forward and caught her. He gathered her limp form into his arms and walked out of the room. He was careful to not hit her head or feet on anything. She needed to sleep. Seeing everything through her dreams would ease the strain of remembering on her mind.

He slowly lowered her onto her bed. Grabbing the blankets off of the floor, he covered her and tucked her in. He looked around the barren room. All of her belongings besides her clothes were still at her parents. Eos rubbed his weary eyes with his fists, attempting to grind alertness into them. Failing miserably, he closed his eyes with his brow wrinkling in concentration. A white glow spread over his body as his insignia flared to life.

Energized magically he settled down on a chair. It was the only furniture in the room besides the bed, and he had forced her to leave it there when she moved in. Minutes and hours passed. The sun rose and fell again. It was nearing day break once again before Usagi groaned and rolled over. She pressed her face into the pillows in desperate want of sleep.

"Serenity, please wake up. I cannot keep guard for much longer."

Usagi groaned and sat up, "Why can't I sleep, Eos? You don't need to 'guard' me here."

"Silly Sere, you have your memories back. What could happen if you were sleeping when your innate magic awakened, without someone to contain it?"

"My magic… I forgot about it. What if it comes back while you sleep? No one would be here to help me!"

"I am not going to sleep," Eos whispered as a mischievous grin graced his face, "I am going to force your magic awake so we both can sleep."

Usagi's face paled as she leapt for the door. "You are doing NO such thing!"

Her argument was ripped to shreds as a brilliant white light rammed into her side. The intense light was warm, too warm. It started to burn with increasing ferocity. A small scream escape her lips as a silver light curled around her body. The heat faded as the light finally covered her entire frame. While it was protecting her, it was very unstable. It flickered and flared. It itched to be free. She concentrated on balance to rein it in, but it was too fresh and provoked.

"Eos! Help me! I will NOT destroy this entire building!"

The blinding white light around her silver shield softened momentarily. The silver light sought its escape and expanded in every direction. The calm white light enclosed it and held. In vain the silver light struggled to press out and surged from point to point. It tried to find a weak point, but it was always resisted as it pulsed.

"Sere, now I am going to force the magic back into you. Can you handle it now?"

"Yes! Just hurry!"

The white light drew together and enclosed on the silver light. Its moveable space became smaller and smaller. As it was enclosed, it was being forced back into Usagi. She did not falter or feint. She held her ground and embraced the light back inside.

Once the white light touched her skin again, she drew a ragged breath and held on tight. The magic attempted to break free, to move, or to just be, but she held it in. She had never felt more alive. Goosebumps trailed up and down her arms and spine as shivers rocked her lithe frame.

"See, Sere, that wasn't too bad…"

"You idiot! That could have destroyed this entire building!"

"Did it?"

"Not the point, Eos. Why would you risk it? Why not run off into a deserted warehouse or something?"

"Waste of time. Plus, you will be exhausted momentarily. Wouldn't you rather sleep in a bed than on a pallet?"

Serenity's frown deepened. Her eyesight started to dim as her body weakly trembled. She was tired. One foot in front of the other, she desperately tried to focus on her feet and nothing else as she moved towards the bed. While still several feet from the bed, her body gave out and tumbled towards the floor. She was caught by a muscular arm, her face mere inches from the floor. Eos lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.

She was fast asleep as he lowered her to the bed.

"Sleep, Moon Daughter, you need your rest. Tomorrow, we prepare to fight once more."


	4. Chapter Four Stronger

A/N: Yeah, another A/N. Sorry for the previous chapter being short. Let's see if we can remedy that now. Also expect to see chapter three reposted sometime soon. I didn't like some of the dialogue, sounded too fake, so I will be redoing that and reposting it. Storyline won't change, just wording.

Chapter Four – Stronger

The night my memories were awakened left me tumbling through dream after dream. Except these were not just dreams. These were memories. My entire being was filled with happiness when I dreamed of the time Endymion and I first met. He was so romantic, so caring, so kind, and so handsome. He swept me off my feet with kind gesture after kind gesture. He was so unselfish and chivalrous it made me want to cry in happiness. My prince had awakened my childish heart out of its slumber into adult hood.

The joy quickly vanished when I dreamt of the invasion. I was held back while my Prince fought for me and my kingdom. He was strong, oh so very strong. It wasn't enough. They won. While Endymion was fighting one of the evil demons, another stabbed him from behind while their sister, Queen Metalia (SP?) cackled in glee.

She offered me a safe haven. My friends were dead. My mother was as good as dead. I could live with her and be mentored by her. In a trance, I had found my way to Endymion. I pried his sword from his dead hands…

I hated that dream. I did not want to remember for a few reasons. The obvious reason is the pain. Oddly enough, the other reason was the joy. I had not felt that complete joy in so long. I felt it once before I fought Queen Beryl, when Endymion had finally remember and severed the Queen's hold on his mind. I felt it when I fought to save Rini from the Wise Man. Even then though it wasn't the soul consuming joy I had felt when Endymion had first kissed me.

Endymion was so different then. Darien had never given her those kind gestures of love and affection. Yes, he had fought for her. He had saved her life too many times to count; however, he had yet to consciously strive to win her heart. I always assumed we would be together, and he must have assumed it as well. 'Well, when you assume, you do make an ass out of you and I…"

Bitter tears trailed down my cheeks. 'Does he even love me? Or is he just fulfilling his duty? He didn't come to me after the Senshi betrayed me. He hasn't even been to the house. I wonder if he's even read my letter. I miss Endymion so much, but I do not know if I miss Darien. Are they truly one and the same?"

Serenity dried her face on her comforter then sat up slowly. She scanned the room looking for Eos with no luck. 'Where can he be?' She scooted out of bed and donned her slippers and bath robe. Both were pink with white bunnies in random patterns. She walked over to her dresser to get some clothes before she went for a shower. She started to open a drawer when something in the mirror caught her eye. She raised her head and stared into the mirror. 'Huh… something is different. But what…?'

She was staring into the mirror when Eos entered the room. He walked behind her and pointed to her forehead.

"Your mark."

"Oh!" Serenity's mouth dropped open. On her forehead a golden crescent moon was nestled, defiantly shining for attention.

"Your hair."

"OH!" Her fingers twirled strands absently as her hand lifted them up for closer inspection. Fine silver strands greeted her vision. Her mouth motioned up and down and failed to find words.

"Beautiful, Sere, you look so much like your mother."

"H…How… why?"

"Your mother was deeply troubled about your ability to remain undetected and safe from harm in the modern world. She feared even in the future you would be recognized, so she disguised you. Now, however, your own magic has been freed and is flaring to life. It has removed the charm it feels is unnecessary. You won't be able to disguise yourself anymore. Your inner power and true form are breaking free."

"How can I go out into public with my mark shining?!"

"Eventually you will be able to calm your magic so you can hide again. Eventually, though, you will have to face the public with your true form."

Serenity opened her mouth to comment, but shut it. She knew he was right. Had she not been to the future? She would be one day be Queen Serenity. That thought brought up a more unpleasant one, Endymion. He was fated to be by her side. She had seen the future. It would be so. Right now she could not see that happening. What would happen to Rini? Was she right now altering the future? Had she already changed it beyond recognition?

"Eos, this is too much at once. I can't think about revealing myself to the public right now. For me to do that, I would need to patch things up with Endymion, no, Darien. I do not see that happening. Why should I let it happen?" Tears claimed her cheeks as they spilled from her blue eyes. They marched stoically down her cheeks to her jaw where they spilled into the beyond.

"Endymion is a different matter for a different time. Right now, let us focus on you. We need to train so you are ready to go back and help defend against the evil which threatens the entire world. Clear your mind of everything except you, your power, and your strength."

Serenity wiped her tear tracks away with her hoodie's sleeves and nodded, "You're right. I need to focus. One thing at a time. Well, where do we start?"

---

The air was crisp and cool. The wind was lightly caressing the world with occasionally bursts of strength, ripping leaves from trees in the process. The leaves were a glorious cascade of gold, red, orange, and varying colors. The summer was at an end. Fall was in full swing, yet still no word from Usagi. Rei, Lita, Ami, and Mina were at the temple outside, enjoying what warmth the air still held. Their practice was done and over and no one had yet to say a word.

Over the past few months they had tried to find Usagi. Rei had tried reading the fire, always seeing a flash of silver and nothing more. Ami had tried scouring the net looking for some trace of her, but obviously she had disguised herself during her absence. Mina and Lita had tried going by the arcade every day, but not a single, loud, annoying blonde ever graced the place. The place seemed so dull without her, even Andrew seemed to be less energetic than normal.

Where was their princess? Darien wouldn't let them see his letter. Ever since they had given it to him, they hadn't seen hide or hair of him. There was an occasional rose thrown during battle to save them, but he never showed himself. When they looked for him after each battle, they always came up empty handed. They tried his apartment but it was empty. He moved. They tried his work to no avail. He transferred. Only one person ever saw him. He remained in touch with Andrew, but Andrew would not talk about him. 'He needs space.' 'Stop pestering him.' All they wanted was to see his letter. Did Usagi tell him where she was? Had he heard from her? Was she still mad at them?

They all silently riddled their minds with questions after question. The silence was mournfully broken by an unforgiving beeping from their Senshi communicators.

"Another youma, great," Rei said as she stood and stretched, wand in hand.

--

Limbs effortlessly bended, folded, and straightened in rapid succession. Serenity's lithe frame glided across the floor. Her silver hair was caught into a long braid to keep it away from her moving limbs. To the untrained eye, she merely danced; however, Eos was very trained. He was able to pick out various stances from martial arts and sword fighting he had taught her over the summer. She had manifested them into a graceful dance which was almost hypnotizing.

"Sere, could you spare a minute?" Eos mindlessly trailed his fingers along his violin case as she wound down and approached.

"Sure, Eos. What's up? What do you have there?" She grabbed a bottle of water and plopped down onto the floor.

"So gracious, Princess, maybe I should have trained you on etiquette as well."

"Pfft… I can be gracious when the scene calls for it. I highly doubt a break from my work out is such an occasion."

Eos chuckled as he fluidly released the catches on the case. "This is my violin. I have been working on a song for you since the summer started. It's unfinished. Do you think you could listen and give me an idea for the ending?"

"Ok. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to help, but I'll give it a go. So shoot."

Eos rested the violin in the crevice of his neck and experimentally plucked at the strings. He hummed as he worked the strings into accordance, playing a bitter sweet melody. He slowed the music as he sung:

_Their voices still ring in your head_

_People you thought were your friends._

_They called you weak_

_They called you clumsy_

_Stop crying, there is hope_.

Here the music picked up a little.

_They are wrong about you,_

_You are stronger than they thought,_

_Are you willing to take a chance?_

_Can your dry your tears?_

_Stand up today, prove them wrong._

Once again, the music picked up in speed and volume.

_You must prove to yourself,_

_For you were the one_

_Who was their only friend_

_When others looked down at them._

_You deserve their friendship at least._

_You must prove to us,_

_For you were the one_

_To help them stand back up_

_When one of them fell down._

_You deserve their protection at least._

_You must prove to the world,_

_For you are the only one_

_That kept on fighting_

_When they wanted to give up._

_You deserve their loyalty at least."_

Eos lowered his violin and looked into Serenity's eyes. Tears had found their way out of her reservoir. Small sniffles escaped while her mouth motioned up and down. Once again, he had put her at a loss for words.

"So, Sere, do you know how it should end?"

"…Eos… thank you! Do… do you think it's time?"

"Yes, it is time to help them. They are beginning to struggle with every attack, which are becoming more frequent. We can remain hidden, if you like, but we must help."

----------------

A/N: So, I was finally able to retype this chapter. It didn't change too much. I hope you don't think I'm rushing through the story too fast. I just wanted to skip the training, save surprises for later. The story will slow down a little now as we get into the fun stuff. Please note, my computer is still dead to me for a few weeks, so I am having to type during my lunch break at work.


	5. Chapter Five Return to Tokyo

**A/N: So, my computer is finally fixed and I have finished revising the outline for this story. I expect the story to be 17 chapters long. My chapters previously were on the shorter side, they should start to get a little longer now. I should be able to get back on track with my writing schedule now, with the potential for catching up come Memorial weekend. R/R!**

Chapter 5 – Return to Tokyo

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, Eos."

Their plane was slowly descending towards the landing strip. Tokyo. She was back again. Back where her friends were, where her fated love was. The only problem was she didn't feel the same anymore. She had feelings for him, but it wasn't love. They were both guilty of assumption, but him more than her. She had tried to mature for him. It had just hurt too much at the time. She hadn't wanted the memories back. Even now she wasn't always sure it was a good thing to remember.

Eventually she would have to confront him with the why, but for now she was safe from that pain. He had to earn her back before she had to worry about it, and earn her he would. She would not run back to him with open arms. He would work and work hard. She wouldn't be cold hearted. She would listen but not much else. He needed to ask her the right way to do more than that.

"So, how would you like to start helping them? We could stay in the shadows. We could disguise ourselves. We could reveal ourselves. We could join them. We could beat them to every fight and wrap things up before they get there. There are also variations of all of those options as well. What do you want?"

'What do I want? I want Darien to ask me something like that. I want him and my friends to realize it's not all about what the world needs. Sometimes, it is about us.'

"A mixture would do well. They don't know you. I barely do to be honest. You would be fine just fighting normally. You can choose how to handle it yourself. For me, I am going to go back there and defy them. I will not let them see me yet. They will just see Usagi."

Eos nodded in ascent. They remained quiet as the plane landed. They couldn't talk too freely as there were other passengers. They had both traveled disguised in a way. Serenity had transformed her hair and general appearance back into that of Usagi. Her silver hair was now glaringly blonde. Her mark and eyes were covered with deception as well. Her blue eyes had none of the silver which had blended with the blue to form Serenity's eyes. He was disguised to look similar to her father. It was a little eerie to look at him.

Eos had been right though. The disguise wand had not been able to cover up those characteristics of her. The magic was too weak in comparison to her own which now flowed freely through her. With his help, she had relearned how to tame and control it. It was now the force behind her disguise.

The rest of the night was quiet between them. It was not an awkward silence. It was a relaxed silence between two friends. Eos was supporting Serenity with his silence. He knew she had a lot to process. She was coming back to a heaping pile of unfinished drama. Drama with her friends. Drama with her love. Even drama with her parents. At first, there had been ballet training. It only lasted two weeks. She had no tapes of recitals or performances to give her parents. She was an extremely talented performer, but her magical training had taken center stage of her summer.

It would be best for all if Serenity revealed her identity to her parents. It would not be warmly welcomed and they might attempt to keep her from fighting; however, it would be needed. She needed to be able to move around unquestioned no matter the time of day or night. She wouldn't be able to go to college or take up a job. She already had a future established for her. She would be Neo-Queen Serenity. She would have time to prepare for her role during the silence.

Eos ended his musings as their taxi arrived at his home. It was a street over from Serenity's parents' home. They would not be stopping there tonight though. She needed time to prepare her story for them. He would give that to her. She could take as long as she needed. He could easily change his appearance and disappear for all the government would know. They didn't know about the real owner of this house. He had used his magic to destroy all paperwork related to it once ownership had been transferred to him.

He hauled their bags to their separate rooms and kissed Serenity on her forehead, a comforting good night.

"Sleep well, Moon Child. You need your rest."

Serenity smiled and closed her door. He would let her rest. In the mean time, the Senshi were in grave danger. The Betrayer had sent out a small task force of youma this time. They wouldn't be able to handle them all.

---

Mars' fire flared to life, cutting a line between the advancing youma and the injured Mercury. Mercury had taken an unseen arrow to her leg. Around the wound her skin was turning to a pale gray.

"AHHH!"

Mercury's scream rattled all of them. She was the quiet one. She would suffer in silence. The arrow hitting had only dragged a small grunt from her mouth. This scream dug its way into their souls and shook it. She was in severe pain.

"Tuxedo Mask, guard me! Jupiter and Venus, hold them off! I need to cleanse her wound fast!"

Mars dropped down by her friend and started chanting. Fire licked from finger to finger in hunger. She lowered her arms down to Mercury's wound and wrapped her fingers around the arrow where it met the skin. The fire streamed down the arrow into the wound causing Mercury to scream louder. She tried to kick her leg out but it was as heavy as concrete and Mars was pushing down hard to keep her still. The spreading gray evaporated in seconds and Mars removed her hands. It was a very archaic form of healing but it would have to do for now. She had burned the curse from the body.

"Watch it, guys, they have their weapons coated with a poison or cursed. I'm not sure which."

The rest grunted to acknowledge they had heard. They didn't have energy or concentration to spare speaking at the moment. They were cornered. Things looked very bad for them. The youmas crept forward, making sure to provide no gaps in their circle. There were six of them. The most they handled before was three. How were they supposed to take down six?

"Ok, guys, let's try to take down two at once. If we can manage that, we stand a chance of having enough energy to live."

Fire, lightning, energy and water were summoned and casted forward towards two of the youmas who were standing close together. The combined magical power enveloped them and deteriorated their bodies into dust.

Rei did an inner dance. Maybe, just maybe they would survive this. 'Damn, we really need Sailor Moon…'

The remaining youmas were not stupid. They spread out. Three moved forward while one stayed back and started raining arrows down on them. 'Maybe I thought too soon.' They dodged as best they could. Tuxedo Mask focused his energy on countering the arrows with roses. He also tried throwing some at the bow to snap the string. He was getting close to it. The girls braced as the three youmas jumped forward. Before they could hit, brilliant silver light raced through all three. In a flash the youmas were no more than blowing ash in the wind.

They all whipped their heads from side to side, seeking the source of their rescue. They couldn't find anything until seconds later a black blur knocked into Tuxedo Mask. Where he had been standing a black arrow struck the ground. From the immediate area around the arrowhead a hiss could be heard as the cement started to boil.

"You should pay attention to your enemy, even if there is only one left," said Eos. He stood up and faced the last youma. He raised his hand, palm forward towards the creature. A bright silver light flowed from his hand and bolted for the youma as he released another arrow. The arrow disintegrated in the rage of the light, as did the youma. By this time Tuxedo Mask had stood and regained some of his pride.

Tuxedo Mask put a hand on Eos' shoulder and asked, "Who are you?"

With a smirk on his face, Eos teleported away. He didn't go far, just a few feet away. "I do not like to be grabbed, Darien."

This elected a few gasps from the girls and a gagging noise of shock from Tuxedo Mask. Mars stepped forward, "How do you know that?! Who are you?"

Eos chuckled, "Well, first off, even if I had just been guessing now I know for sure. As to whom I am? My name is Eos. I am a friend of a friend, sort to say. I cannot tardy here any further. I will see all of you tomorrow around two in the afternoon." With his peace said, he teleported back to his house. He had faced the girls in his true civilian form. He didn't bother transforming for them. Besides, he only had one transformation form, unlike Serenity. At one time he might have had lower forms of his true self, but, if he had, he had forgotten them long, long ago.

---

The next day found the sun bright with few clouds in the sky. It was the perfect day. Eos sighed. 'At least, it would be perfect if he wouldn't send his troops again. Too bad he doesn't realize his toying must come to an end. Ha ha. He is going to be so moody when he finds she has come back.'

"What are you giggling about, Eos? You sound like a little school girl."

Eos grinned as he turned towards Serenity, "Oh, nothing, Sere. It's already 1:30 and we haven't had lunch yet. Want to try a new place?"

"Sure, let me go get my shoes."

"Um, Sere? You might want to change your look back to Usagi before we leave."

Serenity turned around with a frown on her face, "We're not going to actually eat at this new place are we? Fine, let me get my old brooch." Serenity bounded up the stairs and into her bedroom. From the nightstand she pulled out her old brooch. She fingered its lid gently. It held so many memories for her. Most of the memories were bright and cheerful, such as times with Rini.

"Serenity," called Eos, "we'll be late for the party if you don't hurry!"

Serenity smiled. 'Oh yes, this is going to be a party. One big blast.' She descended the stairs and took his hand as he closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He was much better at this then she was. It took a few moments but he finally opened his eyes. There was instantly a flash of black as they teleported. When it faded, Serenity found herself on top of a two story building. After looking around, she realized they were on top of the Andrew's arcade. She smiled as she opened her brooch and whispered out, "Moon Eternal Power!"

Lights flashed as her clothes were promptly replaced with her Senshi garb. Her inner magic hummed in irritation at the restrictions this form had. It wanted to be free. It wanted to breathe. Serenity forcibly pushed it back, willing only the powers of her current form to remain on the surface. She turned towards Eos, "No transformation, Eos?"

"No, I don't need to."

"A little cocky? Won't everyone be able to recognize you after the battle?"

"Yes and no. I do have my own magic, remember? I have it so normal civilians will not be able to recognize me ever, but magical beings, such as yourself and the Senshi, will be able to recognize me to a degree."

Sailor Moon nodded as she waited. The clock in the plaza struck two with two long chimes. In the crowd she spotted the girls and Darien. They seemed to be in an intense conversation in a corner of the food court. Ami was facing outward while everyone else was bickering. 'Figures, leave it up to Ami to keep up a silent zone so no one can hear them bitch and moan.'

She was so distracted by observing them that she hadn't noticed when Eos had moved. He was now directly in front of Mercury mouthing something. Whatever it was, it affected Mercury. She dropped the field and dashed towards the nearby alley. She forced a few people out of her way, receiving hateful glares. Sailor Moon watched with interest as Ami ducked into the alley and transformed. It was then she heard it. Screams erupted from the other end of the food court. There stood seven youma terrorizing innocents. Before she could move, a screen of bubbles covered the court. Even with the bubbles obscuring her view, she could see the magic of multiple transformations taking place where the girls had been with Darien.

"Ready to show them what you're made of, Serenity?"

Sailor Moon turned around to see Eos with a grin plastered on his face. It stretched from ear to ear. "Shouldn't I be the excited one?" Sailor Moon asked him as her own grin stretched even farther. She would show them what they had turned away. She would show them what they had turned away. She would show them then teleport away. They would not have the opportunity to speak this time.

When the bubbles cleared, the Senshi started an improvised version of her old speech. It was only know that she knew the speech was a very foolish idea. It had left her open for attacks multiple times. It's a wonder Darien ever let her do it. The youma wouldn't stay off an attack simply because of a speech. They were mindless creations. The only ones who stood a chance for redemption were those who controlled the creations.

Sailor Moon sighed when the youma started to approach the Senshi, who were still giving their speech. She twisted and twirled as she called for her magic in an incantation, "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Streams of pink and silver laced white light streamed forth from the end of her wand. It collided with one youma then moved on as each in turn was obliterated. When the last one was nothing more than dust, she stood up and stifled a groan. Using so much magic while restraining her own magic was a little overwhelming. She was glad when Eos steadied her with an arm wrapped around her waist.

"Sailor Moon!"

Again she barely contained a groan. So like them to shout in unison. She looked down at them. They all had open mouths, eyebrows raised. She was very happy, they were shocked beyond belief. The one face who really brought her a small smile was Darien's. He was shocked, yes, but there was more than just shock over her presence there. She could tell from the way his eye lids rapidly opened and closed tightly he was trying not to cry. 'He must think Eos and I are… ha ha. How wonderful! Now he gets to know how it felt for me. Yes, this is one part to the healing of our relationship we need."

"Sailor Moon," Mars shouted, "where have you been! We've needed your help! Who is that with you!"

Her thoughts immediately turned sour. Rei, still the same bitch. She loved her dearly, but, at the same time, was infuriated beyond belief with her sometimes. Sailor Moon turned away from them and spoke to Eos, loud enough for the rest to hear, "Let's go home, Eos."

Eos wrapped her in a hug and they vanished. The girls and Darien didn't speak. They all stood there and attempted to process everything. She was back! Usagi was back! They needed her so bad. Why did she run away? Darien was more concerned about the arm around her waist. 'It seemed so natural to her to have his arm there. What have I done?'

"All right," commanded Mars, "let's all head back to the temple and discuss this. Tuxedo Mask, you are coming this time." She forced emphasis on each word directed to him. They had finally managed to corner him this afternoon at one, but even by two he had yet to really tell them anything. They needed to know what he did to make her so upset. It had to be something with him. None of them wanted to believe it was all their fault.

"And make sure you have her letter to show us," added Venus. Tuxedo Mask reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He shoved it at Venus and walked away, talking over his shoulder as he left, "You can have the damn thing if you want it. I'll see you at the next fight."


End file.
